Tag: Ananda Leeke

My Cinchcast Audio Blogging Journey

Posted by on in BloggingLeave a comment
Cinchcast is an amazing audio blog tool that helps me communicate, connect, and craft my niche as a lawyer-turned author, artist, coach, yoga teacher, and innerpreneur.  I started using Cinchcast after hearing Bill Cosby’s Cinch blogs.  I figured if Mr. Cosby could use Cinchcast to share his thoughts, wisdom, humor, and good works, I could too. After using Cinchcast for a week, I realized how natural, fun, and easy it was to pick up my smart phone and share my thoughts. I became really excited about the tool when I saw how quickly my Cinchs posted to my Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn pages. That’s when I became an unofficial Cinchcast ambassador and evangelist. In the past year, I have used Cinchcast to:
  • Provide updates about my creative adventures as an author, artist, coach, yoga teacher, and innerpreneur;
  • Share my weekly lessons learned and insights from running and practicing yoga, meditation, and Reiki;
  • Promote my books That Which Awakens Me: A Creative Woman’s Poetic Memoir of Self-Discovery and Love’s Troubadours – Book One: Karma by reading excerpts that celebrate Black History Month in February, Women’s History Month in March, National Poetry/Jazz Appreciation Month in April, National Black Music Month in June, National Yoga Month in September, and National Arts and Humanities Month in October;
  • Share information and yoga tips that support health awareness campaigns including Heart Healthy Month in February, National Women’s Health Week in May, National Yoga Month in September, and Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October;
  • Live blog with the Blogalicious B-Link DC area bloggers at President Obama’s education reform speech during the National Urban League’s Centennial Conference;
  • Document my BlogHer 2010 conference experiences and conversations with fellow women bloggers;
  • Conduct interviews with women in social media at conferences such as Nonprofit 2.0, Blogging While Brown, BlogHer, and local meet ups in the Washington, DC area as research for my book project Sisterhood the Blog: Soundbytes from the 21st Century Women’s Online Revolution (December 2011);
  • Market my services and monthly events;
  • Celebrate my digital diva sheroes;
  • Solicit donations for my Kickstarter.com fundraising project – Sisterhood the Blog book project http://kck.st/avHVlu; and
  • Teach my coaching clients how to use the tool to blog on the go, connect with and thank their audience and customers regularly, seek feedback, share information, and highlight peers and industry leaders at meetings and conferences.

I am headed to the Blogalicious 2010 conference in Miami next weekend and plan to live blog with Cinchcast. So look for more Cinchs from me in the coming days!

Visit www.anandaleeke.com and http://kck.st/avHVlu for more information.  Follow me on Twitter too http://twitter.com/anandaleeke.
PS: Listen to six of my favorite Cinchs below.
1) Why I use Cinchcast (10/1) – http://www.cinchcast.com/anandaleeke/98092
2) Kickstarter.com fundraising project update (10/1) – http://www.cinchcast.com/anandaleeke/98142
3) Live blogging at DC SheWrites.com Autumn Meet Up at Teaism in DC (9/29) – http://www.cinchcast.com/anandaleeke/97692
4) My yoga and running adventures on first day of Autumn (9/23) – http://www.cinchcast.com/anandaleeke/96167
5) My interview with Socially Diverse founder/blogger James Walker at Busboys and Poets in DC (8/21) – http://www.cinchcast.com/anandaleeke/86979
6) Ananda’s interviews with women in social media at BlogHer 2010 in New York City (8/5-8/7) – http://www.examiner.com/social-media-in-washington-dc/women-bloggers-use-cinchcast-to-live-blog-at-blogher-2010-new-york-city

Ananda’s Kickstarter.com Fundraising Update – Raised $106 towards $500 goal!

Posted by on in Sisterhood the Blog: Soundbytes from the 21st Century Women's Online RevolutionLeave a comment


My Kickstarter.com fundraiser for my Sisterhood the Blog book project is really taking off.   I am blown away by the generosity of folks in my network.  So far I have received $106 in donations from Tanya Fields, Johanna Vondeling, Richael Faithful, Jill Foster, Sariane Leigh, Aiesha Turman, and Kiratiana Freelon (the first supporter!).  Many thanks everyone for your positive energy and support!

My goal for this first round of fundraising is $500 by December 23.  My overall goal is to raise $1,600 by August 31, 2011.  Click here to learn how you can make a $1-$25 donation to my Kickstarter.com fundraiser.  Thanks in advance for your support!

Ananda’s 9/11 Smith Farm Center Wellness Workshop Adventures @Allen AME Church in DC

Posted by on in Smith Farm Center for Healing and the Arts, YogaLeave a comment

September 11th was a pretty special day for me this year. I spent the entire day at a wellness workshop sponsored by Smith Farm Center for Healing and the Arts at Allen AME Church in Washington, DC. During the workshop, I taught a short kind and gentle yoga class for African American DC residents. I also had a chance to connect with Howard University Hospital’s Cancer Center representative. We had a great time talking about the work of Smith Farm artists-in-residence at Howard University Hospital.  By the way, I worked as artist-in-residence at Howard Hospital from 2003 to 2009. Great times! Click here to see more photos from my adventures at the wellness workshop.

Ananda’s National Yoga Month Teaching Gig for Smith Farm Center for Healing and the Arts at Allen AME Church in DC

Posted by on in YogaLeave a comment

National Yoga Month 2010 has been a blast. I taught a kind and gentle yoga class series on September 11, 18, and 25 at Allen AME Church in Washington, DC. The yoga classes were a part of the Healthy U Program for African American DC residents. Smith Farm Center for Healing and the Arts sponsored the event with Allen AME Church and Union Temple Church. Click here to see more photos from the Healthy U Program.

By the way, I  also work as a Smith Farm artist-in-residence at the National Navy Medical Center in Maryland. Visit www.smithfarm.com.

Audio blog and photos from Ananda’s adventures at DC SheWrites.com Autumn Meet Up on 9/29 at Teaism

Posted by on in DC SheWrites Meet Up, She Writes, women writersLeave a comment


Happy Thursday!

Last night I hosted the DC SheWrites.com Autumn Meet Up at Teaism (Penn Center location) in DC.  Writers Evelyn Bourne (http://twitter.com/evelynwrites), and Beandria Terese (http://twitter.com/joyfullybea) joined me for tea, delicious Asian-inspired food, and great conversation. We  shared news about our writing projects and traded books.

Click on the link to hear our audio blog on Cinchcast: http://www.cinchcast.com/anandaleeke/97692.

Click on the Flickr link to see photos from the meet up: http://www.flickr.com/photos/anandaleeke/sets/72157624939000297.

FYI: The next meet ups are November 29, March 29, and June 29 at Teaism, Penn Center location, 400 8th Street, NW, Washington, DC (a block from National Archives Yellow/Green Line Metro – www.teaism.com) from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm.

Click on link for more information about She Writes: www.shewrites.com.

Ananda is speaking about digital sisterhood at Blogalicious on October 8!

Posted by on in BlogaliciousLeave a comment

Great news! I am co-hosting a discussion with PR guru Xina Eiland on the digital sisterhood experience at Blogalicious on October 8 in Miami, Florida. To learn more, read the blog post about our Blogalicious discussion: http://blogaliciousweekend.com/2010/09/the-digital-sisterhood-experience-at-blogalicious-2010.

Happy August! Check out my upcoming events.

Posted by on in Blogatique with Ananda Leeke1 Comment

Happy August All!

I am celebrating all of the creative women who inspire me this month. Many of these fabulous and fierce ladies will be featured during my August events. See the schedule below.  I hope you can join me online and offline.

Who are the creative women that inspire you?  Celebrate them this month.  Call or email them. Make time to see them in person. Tell your network about them. Sing their praises on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other social media sites. Support their creative efforts.

Ananda’s August Events:

1) August 15 @ 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm EST, Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, 901 G Street, NW, Room 307 (Washingtoniana Division’s Program Room), Washington, DC (Please register for the event: http://sisterhoodtheblogaugustfocusgroup.eventbrite.com)

Join Ananda for Sisterhood the Blog’s focus group on how creative women use the web and social media to express, share, market, and sell their creativity and/or creative services. Come share your thoughts, insights, and lessons learned. Guest panelists include (more names will be added shortly):

Feel free to use the Twitter hashtag #STB10 to chat about the event and panelists.

If you are planning to participate, please complete an online survey about women and social media and release statement. The release statement gives Ananda permission to use information shared during the event as research for her book project Sisterhood, the Blog: Soundbytes from the 21st Century Women’s Online Revolution (December 2011).

2)August 16 @ 9:00 pm – 10:00 pm EST, Online Conference Call – To access the call, dial (424) 203-8400 and enter Participant Access Code 943041#.

Ananda is hosting a fabulous conversation on how creative women use the web and social media to express, share, market, and sell their creativity.  Guest panelists include:

Feel free to use the Twitter hashtag #STB10 to chat about the event and panelists.

If you are planning to participate, please complete an online survey about women and social media and release statement. The release statement gives Ananda permission to use information shared during the event as research for her book project Sisterhood, the Blog: Soundbytes from the 21st Century Women’s Online Revolution (December 2011).

3) August 17 @ 9:30 pm EST, BlogTalkRadio – http://www.blogtalkradio.com/anandaleeke/2010/08/18/blogatique-with-ananda-leeke

Tune into the launch of Ananda’s new BlogTalkRadio radio show Blogatique with Ananda Leeke. People. Passions. Politics.  The first episode features creative woman extraordinaire Toni Blackman.  Blackman is an artist, cultural ambassador, and social entrepreneur, based in Brooklyn, New York. Toni is the author of Inner-Course: A Plea for Real Love.  She is also the founder and director of Freestyle Union, a cipher workshop that uses free styling as a tool to encourage social responsibility. Her “I Rhyme Like A Girl” series is a Freestyle Union initiative. In addition, she is a former Echoing Green Fellow and fellow with the Open Society Institute. Visit Toni’s blog to learn more about her creative endeavors: http://toniblackman.wordpress.com. Follow her on Twitter: http://twitter.com/toniblackman.

4) August 18 @ 8:00 pm – 8:30 pm, MomTV – http://www.momtv.com/kg-yoga

Watch Ananda’s kg yoga life practices class on Mom TV on 8:00 pm EST.  The theme is celebrating Shakti, the creative feminine energy.

5) August 24 @ 9:30 pm, BlogTalkRadio – http://www.blogtalkradio.com/anandaleeke/2010/08/25/blogatique-with-ananda-leeke-people-passions-polit

Blogatique with Ananda Leeke. People. Passions. Politics. features Orlando W. Darden, Jr., owner of BodyFitDC (http://bodyfitdc.com) on the second episode of its first season. Darden is a Washington, DC-based certified personal and group fitness trainer,and running coach. He will discuss his life reinvention journey from a seasoned finance professional with 20+ years of experience and a MBA from New York University to a fitness entrepreneur who is passionate about helping people to become more fit and healthy,and improve their overall well-being. Follow Darden’s BodyFitDC on Twitter: http://twitter.com/bodyfitdc.

6) August 26 @ 9:00 pm, Sisterhood the Blog Radio, http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/42015

Tune in as Ananda continues the creative women and social media discussion with the following creative ladies:

Please register for the show: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/794878503.  This radio show is a follow up to an offline event held on August 15 in DC and conference call on August 16.

Feel free to use the Twitter hashtag #STB10 to chat about the event and panelists.

If you miss the live show on August 26, don’t fret. You will be able to listen to the audio posted on Sisterhood the Blog Radio’s web site: http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/42015.

If you are planning to participate, please complete an online survey about women and social media and release statement. The release statement gives Ananda permission to use information shared during the event as research for her book project Sisterhood, the Blog: Soundbytes from the 21st Century Women’s Online Revolution (December 2011).

7) August30 @ 9:00 pm, Sisterhood the Blog Radio, http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/42015

Listen to Ananda’s second discussion about  creative women and social media with the following creative ladies:

Please register for the show: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/814373814.

This radio show is a follow up to an offline event held on August 15 in DC and conference call on August 16.

Feel free to use the Twitter hashtag #STB10 to chat about the event and panelists.

If you miss the live show on August 30, don’t fret. You will be able to listen to the audio posted on Sisterhood the Blog Radio’s web site: http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/42015.

If you are planning to participate, please complete an online survey about women and social media and release statement. The release statement gives Ananda permission to use information shared during the event as research for her book project Sisterhood, the Blog: Soundbytes from the 21st Century Women’s Online Revolution (December 2011).

8) August 31 @ 9:30 pm, BlogTalkRadio – http://www.blogtalkradio.com/anandaleeke/2010/09/01/blogatique-with-ananda-leeke-shayne-lee-author-of-

Blogatique with Ananda Leeke: People. Passions. Politics. features Shayne Lee, author, sociologist, and Tulane University professor on the third episode of its first season. Lee will discuss his new book Erotic Revolutionaries: Black Women, Sexuality, and Popular Culture.

Happy July! Check out my July events

Posted by on in Ananda Leeke, Ananda's Events, archetypes, Self-Discovery, Sisterhood the Blog Radio, Sisterhood the Blog: Soundbytes from the 21st Century Women's Online Revolution, Six-Word Memoirs, Social Media, Teleseminars, That Which Awakens Me - A Creative Woman's Poetic Memoir, Women in Social Media, YogaLeave a comment

Happy July!

Below is a list of my July events.  Join me for some incredibly fun adventures online and offline! Enjoy your month!

1) Tune into Sisterhood the Blog Radio’s Women in Social Media series for Ananda’s interviews with digital divas. See schedule below.

-July 5 @9pm EST – Women who attended Blogging While Brown conference on June 18 and 19 in DC
-July 6 @8pm EST – Najeema Thompson
-July 8 @8pm EST – Amanda Jones
-July 12 @8pm EST – Shon Bacon
-July 20 @8pm EST – Michele McGraw
-July 26 @8pm EST – Devra Renner
-July 29 @8pm EST – April Davis

Click here to join the conversation: http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/42015.

2) Spend an afternoon with Ananda at a book reading for her new book That Which Awakens Me: A Creative Woman’s Poetic Memoir of Self-Discovery on July 10 from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm at Flow Yoga Center (Shakti Studio Room), 1450 P Street, NW, Washington, DC (located several blocks from Dupont Circle subway station). Click on the link to register for the event at Flow Yoga Center: http://clients.mindbodyonline.com/ws.asp?studioid=736&stype;=-8&sView;=week&sTrn;=100000122.

3) Join Ananda for kind and gentle yoga in Malcolm X-Meridian Hill Park in DC on July 11 from 9:00 am to 9:30 am. Click on link for more details:  http://yoga.meetup.com/584.

4) Watch Ananda’s kg yoga life practices class on Mom TV on July 21 at 8:00 pm EST. Click on the link to watch the show: http://www.momtv.com/kgyogalife.html.

5) Listen to Ananda host Sisterhood the Blog Radio’s July 31st episode at 1:00 pm EST featuring a discussion with Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. members about their use of social media during Boule 2010 (national convention) held from July 14 to July 22 in Palm Springs, California.  FYI – Ananda is a member of Sigma!  The show will also include a discussion on how Ananda’s Sigma sorority sisters use social media in their businesses. www.talkshoe.com/tc/42015.

Ananda’s White House Visit During the Blogging While Brown Conference on June 18, 2010

Posted by on in Blogging While Brown ConferenceLeave a comment

Happy Tuesday All!

Guess where I was on Friday afternoon? The White House.

Photo Credit: Michelle Obama Watch Blog Photo - http://pbckt.com/pi.dsciXj

I visited the White House with my fellow Blogging While Brown 2010 Conference (BWB – www.bloggingwhilebrown.com) attendees for a meeting with Corey Ealons, Director of African American Media and Coordinator of Special Projects. Click here to see additional photos from my White House visit:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/anandaleeke/sets/72157624182104723.  During the 2008 General Election, Ealons served as director of African American Media for President Barack Obama. Melody Barnes, Director of Domestic Policy Council, and Jessie Lee, Online Programs Director, also met with us. This meeting set the tone for my BWB experience. It inspired and changed me. It also motivated me to step up my blogging and online activism! Look for news about my WhiteHouse.gov Wednesdays project in the coming days.

Click here to read my Examiner.com article about the meeting.  The Washington Post also covered the meeting. Woo Hoo BWB!

Many thanks to Gina McCauley and the BWB team for a fabulous conference! It was the best BWB so far (loved 2008 and 2009 conferences too!).

Here’s a special treat!  Watch an episode of Ananda Leeke TV featuring Corey Ealons speaking at Day #2 of BWB.  He is an amazing person!

Ananda’s June 12th book reading at Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library

Posted by on in Book Readings1 Comment

My June 12th book reading at Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library in DC was a lot of fun. I discussed my new book That Which Awakens Me: A Creative Woman’s Poetic Memoir of Self-Discovery (November 2009 – Amazon.com) and debut novel Love’s Troubadours – Karma: Book One (August 2007 – Amazon.com). The audience was fantastic. They had some great comments and questions! Click here to see my Flickr photos from the book reading: http://www.flickr.com/photos/anandaleeke/sets/72157624260508400.

My stylist Sharon Malachi a/k/a Butterfly LP recorded a video of me after the event. It gives highlights from my Summer in the City weekend adventures. See below.

Many thanks to the Washingtonia Division staff of Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library staff for helping me organize a great event!

PS: I made an infomercial about my Summer in the City events the night before my book reading and posted it on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter.  Check it out.  Hope you will join me at some of the events.  My next book reading is July 10 from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm at Flow Yoga Center (click on the link to register for the event at Flow)  in DC. Click here to learn more:  http://anandaleekejulybookreading.eventbrite.com.